In light of how hugely successful the recent Mike Tyson-Roy Jones exhibition bout was, we knew there would be more to come. But while Tyson has yet to announce his next move, with the 54-year-old yet to decide whether or not he will return to the ring here in 2021 (it seems likely that he will box again), Jones has apparently got a bout in the pipeline – one with former IBF cruiserweight champ and one-time Tyson sparring partner Glenn McCrory.
It goes like this.
Jones heard how 56-year-old McCrory had called out Evander Holyfield, the Geordie warrior hoping to get an exhibition bout on with the all-time great. Jones then called out McCrory himself, on Christmas Eve. A delighted McCrory accepted and he has since been in touch with a promotional group, with the bout between him and 51-year-old Jones (52 later this month) being worked on for April, in the UK.
“I need a personal goal and boxing is my sport so it seems a natural progression,” McCrory told Chronicle Live. “Roy has been one of the greatest boxers the world has ever seen, a colossus who held global titles at five weights, so it would be a massive occasion. We both see it as a festival of boxing, an opportunity to witness two former champions displaying their skills and venture into the unknown. We are both proud men who don’t want to tarnish our reputations but we are not stupid, we are not kidding ourselves that we are chasing world glory again.”
McCrory has been working with the promotional group Tuff Promotions and he says the bout is being targeted for April and that he would love for it to take place in Newcastle. Jones says he is looking forward to fighting in front of his British fans.
“I knew Glenn wanted to face Holyfield but he has now accepted my challenge and I’m looking forward to fighting in front of my British fans,” Jones said.
So will this one actually get off the ground? Do you want it to? The Tyson-Jones bout generated plenty of criticism and concern that the fight might end up being a farce or an embarrassment (or worse). In the end, the November bout turned out to be a harmless, quite enjoyable event that saw both guys come out safe (and significantly richer). But how many more veteran exhibitions will we see, and will they all turn out to be so harmless?
Who knows what we will see if Jones and McCrory – last seen in a ring way back in 1993 – really do fight.